Eat Teach Blog

This guest blogger shares with us her journey in becoming a runner. She has motivated me to push harder, continuously challenge myself, and be 110% dedicated to my training. Please welcome Leticia from Running around Hungry:

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Hello everyone!  My name is Leticia and I have the privilege of being Divya’s guest blogger for today!  When I found out I was going to be guest blogging, I must admit I was quite nervous.  It is, after all, my first time doing this.  Actually, I am new to the blogging world altogether; I only just recently started my own blog after years of following and reading others daily running/eating/cooking/fitness adventures.

Lucky for me, Divya posed a rather intriguing question.  She asked me what it was that inspired me to take the plunge and decide to run a half marathon, and if running had ever been a difficult thing for me.  It was then that I knew what I had to write about.  The truth is, up until about a year and a half ago, running had always been a difficult thing for me! 

You see growing up I was a basketball player.  And pretty much since I started playing at the age of nine, running was used as a form of punishment for us.  We ran when we missed a free throw, we ran when we made a bad pass, we ran when we lost a game.  We ran to get into shape, we ran to stay in shape, and we ran because we weren’t in good enough shape.  I didn’t care, though, because I ate, slept, and breathed basketball and I would have done anything to be able to play.  Actually, I did do a lot to be able to play, like having three knee surgeries, two of them being major ACL reconstructive surgeries.  All of this for the love of the game!

What I did not love, however, was running.  I hated it, actually.  I’ll never forget the first time I ran three miles.  It was in the middle of volleyball season my junior year in high school and my volleyball/basketball coach decided to have us run in a Cross-country meet.  Being that I was from a very small town (we’re talking one stoplight, here!) there wasn’t exactly a plethora of athletes to choose from.  So what she did was take her volleyball team, suit us up and made us run in the meet.  The meet was on Saturday and so the Wednesday before that she took us out on a “practice run”.  She loaded all nine of us into the back of her truck, drove us three miles out into the back roads in the middle of the surrounding fields, and dropped us off.  We knew it was either run back or be stuck out there in the middle of no where!  Despite the fact that I had NEVER run three miles before, and neither had most of my teammates, I managed to finally make my way all the way back at the school.  When I got there she handed me my uniform for the upcoming meet.

That Saturday we ran in the Cross Country meet and, having just recuperated from my second ACL surgery, I was forced to wear both of my giant knee braces.  The entire time I was running, my knee braces rubbed together where the joints hinged and occasionally caught and got stuck together.  Somehow I managed not to trip and fall and finished the race anyway.  The whole time I was running I could hear the on-lookers.  Most of them were cheering me on, but some were teasing me, calling me names like “Bionic Woman” because of the metal around ¾ of my legs.

This was nothing new; I was used to nicknames like this and didn’t let it bother me.  I just kept running and concentrated on finishing the race.  Eventually I did, and I came in – are you ready for this – last.  Dead. Last. I was embarrassed (humiliated, really, because I was really good in basketball but horrible at this) and exhausted.  Nevertheless, I was relieved to have that horrible experience over with.

As you can probably tell, that memory has stayed with me all these years.  That happened almost 20 years ago.  Yet I can recall it with such vividness that I can describe it as if it happened yesterday.  I guess you could almost say I was a little traumatized.  Why is it that in life it’s the painful things that stick with us the longest?

This is WHY I RUN.  I run because I can.

I run because I don’t have to wear two giant knee braces and my legs are better than ever.  I run to forget all those nicknames that people used to call me.  I run to show myself that I can keep going…for 13.1 miles, even…and not quit, no matter what, just like I didn’t that day.  I run because I remember the days when I hated it…and bask in the knowledge that I ACTUALLY ENJOY IT NOW!  I run to remind myself that it is a PRIVILEGE to get to run, because there are so many people in this world who couldn’t, even if they wanted to.  And most importantly, I run…every single day…to prove to myself that although I may not be the fastest runner in the world, I am steady and have stamina and I WILL FINISH, and I WILL NOT come in dead last. Ever. Again.

This brings a whole new meaning to the phrase, “I run because I can,” doesn’t it?

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Why do you run? =) 

This guest post comes to you from Erin at Eating Away Ernie. She’s a mother-of-three who has had quite the journey of battling weight. She is working on herself physically, yes. But she is also working on changing her mentality toward food and exercise. And for that, I applaud her. Please read her journey – I know she would love your input and advice: 

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My journey?

Truthfully…my journey…this journey to a slimmer, healthier me, has just begun…and if you’re expecting one of those “I just decided to do it one day and I did!” kind of story you might just want to skip this guest post.

My name is Erin, Ernie to those who read my blog (Eating Away Ernie) and I’m a 29 year old stay-at-home Mom to three young children, ages 5, (almost) 4, and 13 months…Again, if you are now expecting a story about a multitasking, jack-of-all-trades, housewife and mother who’s children and home are always in perfect order just stop reading now. I’m a HORRIBLE housekeeper! Just ask my husband David, he’ll tell you…CONSTANTLY!!! Many friends, family, and even strangers told me that three kids are the hardest number. Well, they were SOOO RIGHT and I don’t plan to test that theory by having any more! My youngest is just over a year old and I’m still struggling to find any kind of balance in my day to day life. I’m horrible with time management and when I get overwhelmed I tend to just………………….procrastinate.

I absolutely LOVE my children and love to just sit and hang out with them while they play. I’m a very indoorsy girl and I absolutely LOVE MOVIES! However, my kids like to be outside (only God knows why) and I do usually enjoy myself when I can get myself to go out, but the weight I have gained over the years makes me want to stay inside even more. So, part of my motivation to get slim and healthy is so I can play around with my kids outside and not feel so self conscious and sweat and/or hyperventilate to death.

I was never an “exercise” person. The only sport I participated in during high school was the powder puff football game my senior year…and that was only because I was under the impression that the seniors were “guaranteed” to win. My senior year, they decided that “guarantee” wasn’t valid anymore and we sucked it up. The juniors smoked us and I even sprained my ankle pretty badly, which I was somewhat proud of, because it meant that I “took one for the team.” It was my first experience in running on adrenaline, seeing as I was unaware of how badly I hurt my ankle until after the game was over and I found that I could barely walk on it.

I wasn’t completely inactive my whole life. I took dance classes, roller skating lessons, swimming lessons, and horseback riding lessons (not all at the same time!). My husband David was the runner. he was on the cross country team in the fall and on the track team in the spring. Running never appealed to me…at all…in any way! I’d much rather have a Dawson’s Creek Series DVD ‘marathon’ than run even for a minute straight.

I ended high school in 2001 weighing 135 lbs. and wearing a size 7-8 jeans, my smallest ever.

Senior Prom…I freaking LOVED that dress…its still hanging in my closet…*one day maybe I’ll be able to fit in it again*…hey a girl can dream, right?

Apparently my scanner is SUPER dusty! *See told you bad housekeeper.*
Me at our Senior all night party after graduation.

At age twenty David and I decided to move in together and that is when everything went downhill…weight wise. ; ) I slowly started to put on weight and by the time we got married in August 2004 I was around 180 lbs.

I even had to exchange my dress for the next size UP!!! What bride GAINS weight before their wedding??? I hope my grandma wouldn’t mind me posting this picture of her…she looks amazing! : )

When I got pregnant with my first child in July 2006 I was hovering close to the 200 lb. mark and by the time I delivered I was 235 lbs.

The only pregnancy where you could tell I was pregnant. This was taken the morning of the day I was induced.

When I got pregnant with my second child I was around 210 lbs. I was again at 235 lbs. when I delivered him. If I hadn’t delivered him two months early I stood to gain even more! I lost about 15 lbs. right after having my son, but he had to stay in the NICU for 5 weeks over an hour drive away…there was lots of fast food and lots of Cold Stone Creamery! I gained that 15 lbs. back by the time we brought him home.

In 2009 I found out that I was pregnant again. I was around 238 lbs. at the time and was worried about how much I was going to gain, but I ended up miscarrying just shy of the 12 week mark due to a blighted ovum. Somehow that experience motivated me to lose weight. I started watching what I ate, taking in between 1000-1100 (I know now that is WAY too low) calories a day. I ate every four hours and had water with me all of the time. I gave up pop and fast food and packed a lunch for myself and my two boys whenever I knew we wouldn’t be home for lunch so I wouldn’t be tempted to stop at McDonald’s. *The few times I did stop at McDonald’s I was either able to resist (have no idea how I did that) or I knew which items were the lowest calories and I chose those. In a period of 4 months I lost 40 lbs. and had just made it back below the 200 lb. mark by just changing my eating habits. I did not exercise at all during that time. However, my birthday rolled around and I was helping my Mom find a new apartment. Whenever my Mom and I are together we like to have a good time…and that always involves yummy, not so good for you food. So my birthday exception dinner turned into a week of eating way too much and very poorly. I did get back to my regular eating schedule after that week, but I paid for my crimes…I didn’t lose any weight for a month and being discouraged, I gave up on my healthier eating habits.

Yes, that’s my man Robert Pattinson…don’t judge!
After my 40 lb. weight loss. I had already started to gain some of it back, but you can still tell I had lost some.

The start of 2012 brought the same resolution I have every year…to lose all this damn weight! I was 247 lbs…the most I’ve ever weighed. A facebook friend of mine introduced me to a woman and her blog (only the second blog I’ve ever ‘really’ read). I learned all about Katie at Runs for Cookies and her journey to losing over 120 lbs. and becoming a runner. I started to get interested in running. Katie made it sound so AWESOME! I planned to start out slow…just start walking, but after reading Katie’s 30×30 list I decided to make one of my own. One of my goals was to walk the Crim 10 mile race. Its a big time race in my part of Michigan…thousands of people participate. While looking at the Crim’s website I saw that they were, for the first time, giving out scholarships for their Crim Adult training program. A 15 week training program to get you ready for the Crim race…whether you wanted to run or walk in it. I thought, why not? I’ll submit my info for the scholarship. They were giving out twenty scholarships and it is a very popular training program…and I never win anything (except that time I actually got through to the radio station and won Dierks Bentley concert tickets…WOOHOO! I sounded like a complete dork on the radio) so I wasn’t very optimistic. About two weeks later I got a phone call explaining that I had been chosen for a scholarship!!!

We started training May 15th and the Crim race is August 25th. The training to walk the 10 mile race with a goal to finish had me walking 6 days a week. After one week of the Crim training I decided that I wanted to also start doing the Couch to 5k training program. At first I tried to still exercise 6 days a week, but my legs were killing me, so I am now only walking the day we have group training and I do my C25K training three other days for a total of four days a week. I’ve really surprised myself with my capability to run. Its so weird to think that I just started week 5 of the C25K training, which today had be running for 5 minutes straight, three separate times (15 total minutes running!?) when I thought I was going to die doing the very first 60 second run during the very first C25K workout! I’ve come so far already and even have my first 5k today (July 12th!) I don’t think I’ll be able to run the whole thing, but I’m going to run more of it than I walk! You can check back in with me tomorrow over at my blog to see how I did!

My exercise routine is going so well that I was expecting to lose more weight than I have, but I cannot seem to get my eating under control. Not that I’m binging all the time or anything, but I can’t seem to get myself into a healthier eating pattern. Its becoming more and more apparent to me how much of an emotional aspect there is to what and how much I eat. I am really struggling with it and with the added stress I have been under lately trying to figure out the next steps to take after being diagnosed with MS this past December my eating habits have been pushed to the back of my mind most of the time. I need to make it just as important as I’ve been making my exercise. I’ve read how weight loss is 10% exercise and 90% diet and that is right on! I have gone weeks lately without seeing the scale budge the way I want it to. I know that if I could just get myself to make healthier food choices I would really start to see that number on the scale drop but I just can’t get past that mental block…that first MAJOR craving…that temptation at a get together. So many of the ‘fun’ times I have are wrapped up with food. I need to break that cycle and its proving to be much harder than any of the running I’ve done…which is funny because I always thought that exercise was the hard part.

A recent picture of me with my daughter on Mother’s Day.

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 Lastly, a question for you…What helps you get past those barriers to healthy eating?

This guest blogger is an absolute inspiration and shows us that exercise and movement do not have to be intimidating, awful, or unappealing. Do what you like and do it with passion. Thank you, Laura, for sharing your story! Hope you all enjoy it as much as I did! =)

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Hi Friends! This is Laura and I blog at Joyful Shimmy about my experiences adopting healthy living habits, trying new fitness classes and even facing my fears such as doing burlesque. Thank you Divya for the opportunity to do a guest post here!

“I just don’t think that Brooke could’ve done this. Exercise gives you endorphins. Endorphins make you happy. Happy people just don’t shoot their husbands, they just don’t.” – Elle Woods Legally Blonde

I am glowing after a barre class

I move, I shimmy, I shake my booty to be happy.  My journey was from the “fat chubby girl” who was the last to pick for any sporting event into captain of the kickball team, fitness class fanatic and overall happy person.

My old story consisted of my fear of flying balls (still have that fear), hating to run and just feeling overall that I missed the athlete gene.  Of course since this a genetic disease therefore I would NEVER be athletic, enjoy working out, stick to a gym routine.

Nevertheless I have proven this story is false. At around the same time I started to eat real food, I started to incorporate cardio exercise in my life. I worked with a personal trainer who introduced me to a less intimidating experience to weights. My journey started slowly from going to the gym a few times a week.

Then 2010 hit and I had this crazy thought that I needed to join a convent because my life was just not the way I wanted to look like.  Following my therapist suggestion and the introduction of groupon, I started to take dance classes. My first groupon class was for Bollywood with a friend. We had a blast so we ended up signing up for a month long course. Then it was pole dancing, kettlebells, and everything in between. The life changer classes  for me came in the form of Burlesque Bikini Bootcamp and Shrink sessions (formerly known as IntenSati Creative Workshop).

As I continued to follow what felt good for my body, an internal shift occurred. I moved away from the idea that exercise was something I have to do to lose weight into an activity that I truly enjoy. As I took these classes, I started to meet friends, mentors and positive role models who taught me how to love my body as it is. Most importantly through movement I have been able to find my voice, strength and courage. I love how it truly connects my mind/body and soul and that I am happier.

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What “movement” makes you happy? What gets your endorphins going? 

Today’s guest blogger and I first introduced ourselves through the Lose A Marathon online community, but I am so fortunate to have crossed paths with her. We are so ridiculously similar and I know I have a ton to learn from her – as I’m sure you’ll see through this post. Please welcome Laura from Spicing Up My Life! =) 

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Hi there!  I’m Laura, guest posting from www.spicingupmylife.blogspot.com!  It’s my first ever guest blog and I’m so excited for this awesome opportunity!  Thanks Divya!  Divya and I are both teachers, both trying to “Lose a Marathon” of weight and both LOVE to eat!  Divya is beating me with her 3 lb weight loss.  Great work girl!  I’m down 1.8.  My blog is about everything from weight loss to battling migraines to new recipes to running to life.

Since most of the country is experiencing some serious heat right now, I’m sure you understand that feeling of “ugggggh” as soon as you step outside.  Well the 4^th of July was no different.  I woke up at 5:30am to get ready for my very first race.  This girl decided it would be a GREAT idea to run the Firecracker5000, a sunny 5K that runs along the Illinois River…ha! It was hot.  Hot doesn’t really cover it…it was sweat dripping from your knees hot even at 7:30 in the morning.  But I had trained HARD for the past 8 weeks with the Couch to 5K program so I wasn’t about to give up.  My biggest fears:

1)     I would get run over (Yes, now that I’ve actually run a race, I know this is silly)

2)    I would have to pee or something worse in the middle of the race (I visited the lovely port-a-potty twice in the half hour before the race to ensure this fear DID NOT materialize)

3)    I would be last (This wasn’t even an issue because there were lots of walkers)

There was no order in which to line up…everyone just crowded towards the starting line and all of a sudden I hear the quietest little “poof”, which apparently meant that the starting gun had gone off and we were supposed to move out!  I was a little disappointed at how anti-climactic the start was, but it’s all good.  Thankfully, I found a fellow Sole Sister (the AMAZING running group I’m a part of) who was running at the same pace as me right before the race started so we decided to run together.  She has one of the fancy dancy watches that indicate the pace and mileage and so on.  She told me that our first mile was supposed to be the slowest…well she looked down and we were keeping a really high pace that neither of us ever run and we still had 2.5 miles to go!  Whoops!  It. Was. Hot. I just kept thinking “Ok, I can DO this. You trained for this.  You WILL do this.”  And I did.  I wish (really wish) I could say that I ran the whole thing without walking, but that’s for next time.  I walked twice just a couple minutes on the way back and ended up finishing 3.1 miles in 41 minutes.  Whew!  I am so proud of myself…I went from not even being able to run 1 minute at a time 2 months ago to running an entire 5K!

My AWESOME running group…The Sole Sisters!

Now that I’ve checked that off my list, it’s time to start thinking about school starting in August.  Since Divya is starting her job this fall, I’ve compiled a Top 10 list of things I wish I knew before I started teaching.

10) Get organized.  File cabinets, files, binders, dividers, thumb drives, planners, whatever you want to use.  Have a place for all kinds of paperwork.  Always write the date at the top of any paperwork you get and file it so you know where it is.  Someone will ask for it again and if it’s organized you will be able to find it, give it to them and smile because you are an organizing GENIOUS!

9) Students will not be enraptured by your teaching every minute of every day.  They just won’t and that’s okay.  This was hard because I had HIGH expectations of 24 smiling faces every day thoroughly enjoying every word I said.

 8) You can’t please every parent, colleague or student.  Not everyone will like your decisions or choices but knowing you did your best and stood up for what you believe will make it all worth it.

7) Don’t vent in the teacher’s lounge.  I know it will be VERY hard to resist and VERY easy to succumb to the negativity if you start.  Don’t do it.

6) Your plans will change-if the lesson isn’t working, STOP!  Do not pass GO!  Stop and try a different strategy or stop and move on to the next lesson.  There’s no point in continuing if the kids aren’t getting it.  Revamp the lesson and try again tomorrow.

5) Your first year of teaching you will try to be GREAT at EVERYTHING and you will be really sad when you are not GREAT at everything.  That’s okay.  But don’t be too hard on yourself.  Take on one thing at a time to be GREAT at each year (ex. Classroom management, guided reading, or parent communication) and by the time you have been teaching a few years you will be GREAT at many, many things.

4) You will cry.  Probably more than once.  It’s okay.   It’s all worth it.

3) Trust your gut.  If something doesn’t seem right with a student, ask.  Be a detective.  We are mandated reporters.  Remember this.

2) Earn the trust of your students.  Would you be able to learn much from someone you didn’t trust?

1) Put yourself in the shoes of your students.  If you wouldn’t want to do it, then your students won’t want to either.  If you don’t want to sit in a desk for 7 hours a day they won’t either.  If you like to get comfy when you read, the students will want to get comfy when they read too.  Think like a student…act like a teacher.

**Most importantly, remember you are so BLESSED to be entrusted with the lives of these students.  What a privilege! J

Before I sign off, I want to leave you with a yummy new recipe to try at home.  It is super easy and great for summer because you don’t have to heat up the oven.

Skillet Parmesan Crusted Tilapia (serves 2-easy to double or even triple)

2 tilapia fillets (or fish of your choice)

2 tbsp  breadcrumbs

2 tbsp parmesan cheese

2 tbsp olive oil

*Combine breadcrumbs with parmesan cheese in bowl.  Dip fish fillets in mixture and coat evenly on both sides.  If there is extra mixture, put it on the top of the fish when they are in the skillet.  Coat a medium skillet with olive oil and heat on medium for 1-2 min. Carefully lay each fillet in skillet.  Cook on medium heat for 4-5 min. and flip.  Cook the other side 4-5 min. Voila! Side with spinach salad, edamame, brown rice and enjoy!

Thanks for having me as a guest blogger today!  I hope you will head over to www.spicingupmylife.blogspot.com for some more running escapades, recipes and teaching adventures!